Individuals who have irregular blood glucose concentration levels are often medically required to self-monitor their blood glucose concentration level. An irregular blood glucose level can be brought on by a variety of reasons, including illness, such as diabetes. The purpose of monitoring the blood glucose level is to determine the concentration level and then to take corrective action, based on whether the level is too high or too low, to bring the level back within a normal range. The failure to take corrective action may have serious adverse effects on the individual.
Beyond the above-described blood glucose concentration level monitoring, self-testing systems are also used for determining the presence or concentration of other analytes in body fluids, such as, for example, cholesterol, alcohol, and hemoglobin in blood, interstitial fluid, or chemical substances in saliva.
One method of monitoring a person's blood glucose level is with a portable, hand-held, blood glucose testing device. The portable nature of these devices enables users to conveniently test their blood glucose levels wherever the users may be. The test device receives a test sensor for harvesting the blood for analysis. The test sensor, one of which is required for each test, contains a reaction area including a reagent for producing a measurable reaction with the glucose indicative of the blood glucose concentration level. The test sensor harvests the blood for reaction with the reagent stored within.
Prior art test devices exist that contain a plurality of test sensors or test strips in either a circular sensor packaging container or a cartridge sensor packaging container. An exemplary prior art circular sensor packaging container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,403. One drawback with prior art circular sensor packaging containers is the limited number of test sensors contained in the container. The number of test sensors contained in the sensor packaging container is limited by the physical space available for the sensor packaging container within the handheld test device. Therefore, a need exists for a test sensor container that is not limited by the size of the testing device.
Additionally, there is a need to insure that the test sensors, which are placed in the testing device, are the appropriate test sensors. Otherwise, miscoding of the test sensor can occur, which could result in the user relying on erroneous test results. Therefore, a need exists for a testing system that avoids the miscoding and use of inappropriate test sensors.